iN PHOTOS: This is what record-breaking Okanagan snow looks like
OKANAGAN – There’s a whopping nine feet of snow at Silver Star Mountain right now — the height of an average ceiling.
That’s taller than Shaquille O’Neal and André the Giant (both are just over seven feet in stature). It's higher than your typical Christmas tree, but not quite as tall as a basketball hoop (10 feet). It is precisely nine Subway sandwiches.
And just like Shaq and André, it’s above average for Silver Star Mountain Resort. Resort marketing manager Oscar Gordon says it’s the biggest snowfall in 68 years.
“There is no doubt this has been a very special season,” Gordon says. “You can barely see the tops of light posts and street signs poking out of glacial snow banks.”
It’s a record-breaking amount of snow — 280 centimetres to be exact — and Silver Star isn’t the only local hill having an epic year.
James Shalman, the general manager of Apex Mountain Resort near Penticton, says they’re verging on 300 cm (currently sitting at a 294 cm base).
“We are having a record winter. The snow is unbelievable,” Shalman says. “Everyone’s going off saying what an amazing season it’s been.”
The only challenge? Where to put it all.
“Where it’s been a bit of a problem is there’s so much snow in our parking lots, it’s taken some parking away,” Shalman says. “We’ve started pushing it to other areas. If that’s the only problem we have, I say bring it on.”
Big White in Kelowna hasn’t broken any records yet, but communications manager Mason Buettner says this season has still been in the top 10 per cent.
All the snow has made for some pretty happy ski-bums this year, and more than one buried truck.
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